Aiming to give students a unique opportunity to bring their creative visions to the silver screen, the Souderton Film Club hosted its second annual film festival on May 20 at the high school.
The event showcased student written and produced films.
“I really wanted the students to be able to showcase their work,” Film Club advisor Alicia Simpson said. “They’re making some really great stuff, and I wanted everybody to be able to see that.”
The film festival, which lets student filmmakers submit their own projects as well as those made for classes at the high school, consists of a public showing of all these films over the course of an evening.
Films are submitted into one of a number of categories, such as comedic, narrative, non fiction (informational), and suspense or horror.
Individual films in each of these categories are recognised with awards at the end of the night, as well as student directors, actors, and cinematographers of note.
The festival had been run by previous iterations of the Film Club, but had taken a hiatus as the Film Club disbanded for several years.
However, with the Film Club returning to the high school last year, the event made its comeback at the Broad Theater on May 22, 2022.
“Last year was at the Broad [Theater], but we sold out insanely quickly, so this year we moved to the auditorium,” senior Matthew Meehan said. Meehan submitted two of his personal projects for consideration. He also submitted work to last year’s event, and believes that the event provides the student body with a useful new way to get feedback and filmmaking advice.
“It’s nice to get your work shown to other people; it helps you know what you need to work on and improve on,” Meehan said. “It helps you grow.”
Senior Owen Gingrich, who submitted a film into the suspense and horror category, enjoyed the experience of making a film in a genre that he ordinarily wouldn’t.
“Essentially we just had fun with the process, to make something that just puts everybody on edge,” Gingrich said. “It’s an entertaining way to make a film.”
Gingrich, who plans on attending DeSales University for TV Production and Film next year, is thankful for the opportunity that the Film Festival provides to student filmmakers
“For people who are interested in a career in these kinds of industries, being able to see your movies get an actual reaction from an audience is kind of monumental in cementing it as a possible career path,” Gingrich said.
Being able to present their work in front of large crowds is something the filmmakers greatly appreciate, including junior Jacob Keener, who submitted two original films that he wrote, produced and directed solo.
“I feel like it’s good for self expression, and being able to show your peers what you’re capable of, what you’re able to do,” Keener said. “Being able to set yourself apart from other people is pretty cool.
In two years, Simpson will be a offering a class dedicated to film production. “Picture TV Production, but more focused on the narrative side of things,” Simpson said.